1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to truck safety devices and more specifically it relates to a truck light warning system for automatically alerting a driver near a truck that they are either following too closely or within a truck's blind spots.
Trucks, such as semi-trucks with an attached trailer, have four main "blind spots": the left side, the right side, the rear and the front. When a vehicle is within one of these blind spots, the driver of the truck is unable to see the vehicle making a potentially hazardous situation for both the truck driver and the vehicle drive. Hence, there is a need for a warning system that automatically warns a driver of a vehicle that they are within one of the four blind spots of the truck thereby encouraging the driver of the vehicle to exit from the blind spot so the truck driver can see them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Blind spot warning systems for trucks have been in use for years. Typically, the warning systems comprise a plurality of sensors positioned about the truck and the trailer that detects the presence of a vehicle within a blind spot. Upon detecting a vehicle within a blind spot, an engine control module (ECM) transmits a message to the instrument control panel (ICP) within the cab of the truck alerting the driver of the truck that a vehicle is within a blind spot.
Unfortunately, conventional blind spot warning systems do not alert the driver of the vehicle that they are within a blind spot leading them to believe that the truck driver can see the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle with then sometimes remain within the blind spot resulting in a dangerous situation for all individuals involved.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for automatically alerting a driver near a truck that they are either following too closely or within a truck's blind spots. Conventional blind spot warning systems only alert the truck driver who may not notice that a vehicle is in a blind spot.
In these respects, the truck light warning system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of automatically alerting a driver near a truck that they are either following too closely or within a truck's blind spots.